Straight bar knitting machine



6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors:

wrncK Gideon 60.7 5

IDenis win-Field y Wile/AND. 5. Swim P. G. MCCARTHY ETAL STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE June 24,1958

FiledMay 25, 1955 June 24, 1958 P. s. MCCARTHY ET AL 2,339,908

' STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1955 31. E EEC: C y

In ventor; Twfri devn M earih 11cm: winfiel y v Madam s. swim June 24; 1958 P. G. MCCARTHY E AL 2,839,908

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE 6 Sheeiis-Sheef 3 Filed May 25, 1955 Inventors:

curricK @uem M cmhy M3 wm-FiekL By Muchw. a 8mm ant.

June 24, 1958 r P. a. M CARTHY ETAL 2,839,908

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 4o F/G.3.

4/ sose 48 18 Inventors: ra:hiol Gid mg ems -Held y wwwzasmm June 24, 1958 P. G. M CARTHY ETAL 2,839,903

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 23, 1955 Inventors; mn ewe MQ en": wmfield My By 7 WW ifimKm June 24, 1958 j P, C ARTHY ETAL 2,839,908

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 mew; 5. 5mm.

United States STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINE Application May 23, 1955, Serial No. 510,213

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 28, 1953 4 Claims. c1. 66-130) This application is a continuation-in-part of our patent application Serial No. 350,851, filed April 24, 1953, entitled Straight-Bar Knitting Machines.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machines and has particular although not exclusive reference to those multi-hcad machines known as pant frames or underwear and outerwear machines which are thesubject of our patent application No. 350,851 from which the present application is a continuation-in-part. In these latter machines knitted garments other than knitted footwear may be produced, and adjustable lead screws and associated mechanism are provided such that work which may be termed non-symmetrical may be produced. In such a machine there has also been provided a flexible drive carrier control mechanism (e. g. as disclosed in our patent application No. 350,852) for positively driving thread carriers, and anti-rebound mechanism for carriers.

The present invention is generally concerned with these machines which have that type of flexible drive carrier control mechanism in which there is employed a flexible element such as a chain for transmitting 'drive to the thread carriers, also wherein traverse of the carriers may be limited by sprocket wheels on which the element rides changing the path of the element to effect and release releasable connection between the carriers and the flexible element, and further wherein the sprocket wheels are mounted on sprocket boxes which are adjustable on lead screws to vary the traverse of the carriers' Primarily on the slide block 'which is adapted tobe, engaged, auto-.

matically a'tthe end'of the traverse of the'carriers, with a'spring pressed anti-rebound stop comprising a bolt which is'imounted on the sprocketbox and is releasable by automatic means. slni operation, the bolt is auto-.

matically connected to the catch abutment immediately the carriers reach the end of the movement i. e. some' time before the chain reaches the end of its movement, and the automatic means disengages the bolt from the catch at the commencement of the chain, i. e. some time prior to the returnof the carriers; a disadvantage of this is that there is thus undesirable freedom of movement of' the carriers during the early return movement of the,

chain" atent An object of'the invention is toavoid this undesirable freedom of movement of the carriers.

The invention provides, in a Cottonspatent or other 4 straight'bar knitting machineihaving-flexible drive control mechanism of the type referred to, anti-rebound mechanism for the thread carriers comprising-two pairs of ice the appropriate sprocket box at theend of-the carrier traverse, and to automatically release when the carrier starts its reverse, the stop in the meantime maintaining the connection throughout the period during which the chain completes its str'oke after the carrier traverse (whereupon the cam' means acts to retract the anti-,

rebound stop, which is of one-way-locking type to prevent rebound of said part and the carrier) and returns adistance before the carrier starts to' reverse. Preferably' the cam means is constituted by a cam for each a'nti rebound stop on a shaft rotatable at half the speed'of The two pairs of stops are con the main cam shaft. veniently bolts mounted respectively on' the sprocket boxes, and said part conveniently has abutments cornplementary to the bolts to co-operate with them.

The said cam means preferably includes a shaft rotat able from the draw cross shaft at half the speed of the main cam shaft, and a cam thereon for each anti-rebound' stop in such a manner that each anti-rebound'st'op' can be maintained in retracted inoperative position throughout any required predetermined period in appropriate alternate courses thereby to allow for the production of what may be termed non-symmetrical work for which it may be necessary for a carrier to start and stop its traverse at one side of the centre of a needle bar, and

also maintained in projecting operative position through out any required predetermined'pen'od in thereinaining courses such that," as desired; they are always projecti'ng, when the sprocket boxesare adjusted for fashioning.

The mechanism as above may be provided in 'cornbina-j tion and co-operation with-anti-rebound stops acting directly on the carrier bars and which are operable from the half speed shaft. a 5 The invention further provides in a 'Cottons'patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a thread car:

rier driving chain, roller means on the chain adapted to be coupled to and uncoupled from a slotted slide block,

carrying thread carriers, by traversing the chaini'round' sprocket wheels mounted on a pair of spaced sprocket boxes which are adjustable towards and away from each other on lead screws and cause change of directionof the chain at e'ach box to carry the rolleriuto and out'fof the slot in the slide block at the; variably spaced locations" of the boxes, anti-rebound mechanism for the thread 'car' riers comprising two'pairsof spring pressed bolts on the sprocket boxes respectively for respectively engaging with and disengaging fronrthe slide block at the endofthe carrier traverse to connect the slide block to andfrelease it from the sprocket boxes, whereof one, anti-rebound; bolt of each pair is of one-way-locking type and is co trolled by cam means from a half speed shaft in addition V to its spring means, and the other is ofself-acting'type, being controlled only by its springto connect'with and release from the slide block automatically upon movement of theslide block to engage with and disengage from it and. to maintain the connection throughout an intermediate period whilst the slide block stationarypnd the chain continues to traverse to the end of its movement" and back to re-engage with the slide block.

The above and other eatures of the invention set out in the appendedclaims are incorporated in ;the con' struction which will now be described, as a'specific em -Q bodiment with reference to the accompanying {drawings in which: t

Figure l is a Patented June 24, 8.

diagrammatic plan view of'a machinge,

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the operation of the anti-rebound mechanism.

Figure 4 is a detail face view of part of the antirebound mechanism, and

Figure .5 is a detail cross sectional view of part of said an qi, a

Ref rring now to Figure 1, the straight bar machine illustrated incorporates two main selvedge stops 1, 2 with associatedmechanisms and ,two auxiliary stops 3, 43nd associatedmechanisms, a main carrier control or driye anauxiliary carrier control or drive mechanisrnflgthread carrier rods 7, 8 and 9, a driving shatt ltl drivlng cam shaft 11, anda half speed shaft 12 (Figures .2, 3 and driven through the medium (not shown). .of a chain for example from the draw. cross shaft The gmain stops 1, 2 are, shown (in Figure 1,) for thecarrierrod 7 and are adjustable .on lead screws 14, 15 respectively simultaneously with the adjustment of sprocket boxes 16,: 17 for the carrier control or drive mechanisms and for this purpose lead screws 18, 19 of said mechanism 5 may berespectively connected to the lead screws ,14, 15 by suitable means indicated by way of example at 20 and 21. The two screws 14, 15 overlap two auxiliary screws 22, 23 on which the auxiliary stops 3 and-4 are mounted, and the carrier rod 8 is shown assoeiated with these stops 3 and 4 and with the sprocket boxes of the carriercontrol or drive mechanism 6 similar to the arrangement for the carrier 7.

Thread carrier bar 7 is connectedto the carrier control Sand carrier rod 8 is connected to the carrier control 6.

Referring now to Figure 2, this showssuitable mounting details for the screws 14, 15, 22 and 23, screws 14 and: 15 being supported by brackets 24, 25 respectively from the top back .rail 26 and disposed with the screw 1 4,above-the screw lsa The boxes 1 and 2 are conveniently guided on a steady shaft 27 and they include anti-.reboundboltsindicated at 28 whichmay be rendered operative and inoperative on any of the carrier bars 7,

8 and 9 through the mediumaofylink and lever mechanism. indicated; generally at 29, from a cam:.30, on

half speed shaft .12 and driving arm .32 with a jlheauxiliary screws 22, 23;.may be carried by a bracket 34 from the head rail,35 and the stop boxesl3, 4, thereon may be guided ona shaft 36 andmay include anti-rebound bolts=37which maybe rendered operative and inoperative on the carrier bar 8 by link and lever mechanism indicated generally at 38 through the medium of said truck armJZ'and truck 33,;from the, cam on said half pe h t" 11-; l

Referring now-to Figure 3 this diagrammatically illustrates the operation of the anti-rebound stop mechanism and Figures, 4 and; showparts of said mechanism in detail. More specifically there, is a carrier driving chain 39 ,traversingover. sprockets 40-43, and;4446, and.

notch For co-operatingjjwithKtl e .catchfabutment 52 ther e is .a spring pressed bolt 56 "of 'one-way-locking; type carried by the sprocket box16 and adapted to'be.

retract'ed'bya lug 57 thereon engaging a vertically displace, able bar 58 which is vertically displaceable through the medium of a rod 59, bell crank device 60 and truck 61 4 engageable with a cam 62 on the aforesaid half speed shaft 12. For co-operation with the female abutment 54 there is a spring pressed bolt 63 carried by said sprocket box 16 and of self-acting type having a V-shaped lower nose 64 for automatic releasable engagement with and disengagement from the V-shaped notch 55 on the female abutment 54. Thus when the slide block 47 is moved to the left in Figures 3 and 4 the catch abutment 52 and the female abutment 54 automatically engage with the antiu'ebound bolt 56 and the bolt 63 respectively (the anti-rebound bolt 56 dropping in behind the abutment 52) precisely at the time the roller 51 carried by the chain 39 changes direction by travelling vertically between the two sprockets 40 and 41 and thus disengagcs the roller 51 from the slot 48 in the slide block 47 and ceases to impart further driving force to the slide block 47; the abutments 52 and 54 thereby hold the slide block 47 and associated thread carrier steady at the end of its traverse and remains thus until the end of the traverse of the chain 39. Immediately the chain 39 begins to reverse, the anti-rebound bolt 56 is automatically raised by the cam 62 clear of the catch abutment 52 and thus is immediately released from the slide block 47 ready for the latter to return. However the slide block 47 does not generallyv return immediately because the roller 51 on the chain 39 has in the meantime traversed to a position beyond the sprocket box 16; instead, the roller 51 must first travel back until it again becomes disposed between the two sprockets, 40 and 41 and re-engages in the slot 48 of the slide block 47, before the slide block 47 is returned. On these occasions it will be understood that the other bolt 64 and the female abutment 52 remain connected and this ensures that the slide block 47 is maintained steady throughout this period after the anti-rebound bolt 56 has beenreleased and until the roller 51 re-engages the slot 48 in the slide block 47. The cam 62 has a suitable rise and fall fsuch that, by virtue of it being on the half-speedshaft 12,. the anti-rebound bolt 56' will remain inretracted position throughout desired predetermined periods in appropriate alternate courses.

to allow for the production of the aforesaid non-symmetrical work in which the carrier may start and stop,

at one side of the centre of the needle bar. The operation of the anti-rebound bolt 56 from the half speed shaft 12 is also such that, as desired, it always remains in projected operation during adjustment of boxes 16, 17 for fashioning. Similar anti-rebound stop mechanism to that just described is provided for operation during traverse of the slide block 47 to the right in Figures 3 and 4, and relevant parts are indicated by reference numerals 52 to 62'. The anti-rebound bolt 56' of the latter mechanism operates in opposite directions to the former antirebo und bolt 56.

What we claim is:

1. A straight bar knitting machine comprising in combination, a thread carrier, means for driving of the thread carrier comprising a horizontally slidable slide member carrying the thread carrier, a reciprocatable flexible element, at releasable driving connection between the slide member and the reciprocatable element, control means comprising a pair of control members at spaced locations in the travel of the reciprocatable element to make and break the releasable driving connection at said spaced locations so that'travel of the thread carrier in opposite directions by the reciprocating element is commenced and terminated by control of the spaced control members and the reciprocatable element completes a constant amplitude of travel after each thread carrier travel, a pair of horizontal adjustable lead screws one above and a second below the horizontal path of the slide member, a screw nut on each of said spaced control members one.

screw for adjustable positioning of this control member horizontally below said path of the slide member, whereby the amplitude of travel of the thread carrier is variable, anti-rebound stop means comprising a spring biased bolt on each spaced control member one for cooperating with a fixed stop on top of the slide member and the other for cooperating with a fixed stop on the underside of the slide member, cam operated means for operating on each anti-rebound bolt, a guide bar for each bolt to enable operation of each bolt by the cam operated means at any position of adjustment of the spaced control members, and auxiliary stop means comprising a spring biased bolt on each spaced control member one for cooperating with a fixed stop on top of the slide member and the other for cooperating with a fixed stop on the underside of the slide member.

2. A straight bar knitting machine comprising, in combination, a thread carrier, means including a reciprocatable flexible driving element having a constant amplitude of travel for driving the thread carrier control means comprising spaced control members effecting releasable connection between the thread carrier and the flexible driving element at variably spaced locations in the elements travel so that the element travels part way with the thread carrier and part way without it, and means operating to hold the thread carrier stationary at the ends of its travel comprising self-operating anti-rebound stop means consisting of a spring biased anti-rebound bolt slidably mounted in each control member and a fixed stop for each anti-rebound bolt on the slide member, a main cam shaft, a half speed'shaft driven at half the speed of the main cam shaft, and cam operating means to release the bolts consisting of a cam for each bolt on the half speed shaft and link and lever mechanism operable by each cam to Withdraw one bolt against its spring pressure when the flexible driving element completes its travel after each thread carrier travel, and self operating and releasing stop means comprising a spring biased bolt slidably mounted in each control member and having a V-shaped end and a fixed stop, for each of these spring biased bolts, which is on the slide member and has a V-shaped notch to receive said V-shap'ed bolt end.

3. A straight bar knitting machine comprising, in combination, a thread carrier means for driving of the thread carrier comprising a horizontally slidable slide member carrying the thread carrier, a reciprocatable flexible element, a releasable driving connection between the slide member and the reciprocatable element, control means comprising a pair of control members at spaced locations in the travel of the reciprocatable element to make and break the releasable driving connection at said spaced locations so that travel of the thread carrier in opposite directions by the reciprocating element is commenced and terminated by control of the spaced control members and the reciprocatable element completes a constant amplitude of travel after each thread carrier travel, a pair of horizontal adjustable lead screws parallel to and spaced from each other and the horizontal path of the slide member, a screw nut on each of said spaced control members one mounting its control member on one of the lead screws and the other mounting its control member on the other lead screw for adjustable positioning of the control members horizontally along said path of the slide member, whereby the amplitude of travel of the thread carrier is variable, anti-rebound stop means comprising a spring biassed bolt on each spaced control member one for cooperating with one fixed stop on the slide member and the other for cooperating with a second fixed stop on the slide member, cam operated means for operating on each anti-rebound bolt, a guide bar for each bolt to enable operation of each bolt by the cam operated means at any position of adjustment of the spaced control members, and auxiliary stop means comprising a spring biassed bolt on each spaced control member one for cooperating with a third fixed stop on the slide member and the other for cooperating with a fourth fixed stop on the slide member.

4. A straight bar knitting machine comprising, in combination, a thread carrier means including a reciprocatable flexible driving element having a constant amplitude of travel for driving the thread carrier, control means comprising spaced control members effecting releasable connection between the thread carriers and the flexible driving element at variably spaced locations in the elements travel so that the element travels part Way with the thread carrier and part way Without it, and means operating to hold the thread carrier stationary at the ends of its travel comprising self-operating anti-rebound stop means consisting of a spring biassed anti-rebound bolt slidably mounted in each control member and a fixed stop for each anti-rebound bolt on the slide member, cam operated means to release the anti-rebound bolt and link and lever mechanism operable by each cam to Withdraw one antirebound bolt against its spring pressure when the flexible driving element completes its travel after each thread carrier travel, and self-operating and releasing auxiliary stop means comprising a spring biassed bolt slidably mounted in each control member and having a V-shaped end and a fixed stop, for each of these spring biassed bolts, which is on the slide member and has a V-shaped notch to receive said V-shaped bolt end.

Reierences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,804 Grosse Apr. 7, 1936 2,093,154 Meyer Sept. 14, 1937 2,167,478 Good July 25, 1939 2,202,521 Gastrich May 28, 1940 2,656,694 Barsby et al Oct. 27, 1953 

